William Shatner’s The Captains is just two days away and in a new interview the original Star Trek captain talks about the journey and surprises from making the documentary. He also says he is still very willing to take JJ Abrams call for the 2012 Star Trek sequel. We also have two exclusive images from The Captains featuring Chris Pine and William Shatner.

William Shatner Talks Captains + Still Wants in on Star Trek

William Shatner’s new Star Trek documentary The Captains premieres this Friday on Epix. Shatner directed and produced the documentary which has him traveling the globe speaking to Star Trek’s TV captains, Chris Pine and other Star Trek luminaries. In a new interview promoting The Captains, Shatner talked about what surprised him on the journey:

Well, the fascinating part of doing documentaries is that you don’t know quite what it is that you’re going to get. In fact, there is a tremulous fear that you’re not going to get anything. So it’s really a process of discovery, and it’s a creative discovery because you have to respond to the thing that’s happening in front of you as it’s happening, right in front of the camera. Your intuition and instincts have to get sensitized so that you can pick up a story and a possible thread that could go through the documentary. You do all that, but you don’t know what that thread is yet because you haven’t gone there. You can do research and you can think about the possibilities of what you may find, but the exultant effect of a good documentary is that you happen on upon the thing. If it’s nature shooting and you’re filming animals, you’ve got something if suddenly a wonderful event takes place in front of your camera, something that you could not have scripted. And that’s what you
hope for in front of a documentary camera.

Shatner gave a quick rundown about his experience with each of the Star Trek captains in "The Captains."

Patrick spoke to me as deeply and in as affecting a tone as he ever has anywhere, in my experience. Avery was a delight, and he spoke to me in musical terms. Kate was magnificent and dignified and revealed herself more emphatically than I could have hoped for. Scott Bakula was as jovial and as warm as one would have expected, and then just specks of heartache emerged. And Chris Pine was a young prince among us all, elegant and youthful and hopeful and blessed with all his obvious talent.

And regarding the 2012 Star Trek sequel, TrekMovie reported that William Shatner recently said he will not be appearing in the film. The official site asked him about this comment and if he was still open to more Star Trek if JJ Abrams called. Shatner replied:

Shatner: I would probably trip on my way out the door to fall at his feet.

Speaking of the new Star Trek, Epix has provided TrekMovie with a couple more images from The Captains featuring the two Kirks: Chris Pine and William Shatner.

Chris Pine and William Shatner in "The Captains"

Chris Pine and William Shatner in "The Captains"

Shatner live Q&A on Friday

On Friday at 6PM ET/3PM PT (following his SDCC panel) William Shatner will be doing a live online Q&A to talk about The Captains. You can watch it live at http://www.epixhd.com/event-theatre/ . TrekMovie will also be hosting the video and social feed from the event here at TrekMovie.com.

Also remember you can watch The Captains for free online by signing up for a 2-week trial at www.epixhd.com/freetrial-shatnerpalooza. (You don’t need to sign up to participate in the online Q&A).

As much as it would be fun to see Shatner in the new movie, I think it’s time to let the new guys do the work.

July 20, 2011 4:45 pm

Trip327

Really want to see this. Hope they release it on DVD or the Movie Network so we can watch it here in Canada.

July 20, 2011 4:54 pm

IPIUIL

As much as I like the new crew, I still think it would be incredible awesome to see the return of Shatners Kirk after all these years for one last time.

But it would be complicated to include him in the story,
unless they are once more visiting the nexus! ;-)

July 20, 2011 4:57 pm

Phil

Hey, Bill, check your e-mail. Paramount rescheduled this to 2017…..

July 20, 2011 5:13 pm

Geha

Not really. They could, you know .. continue making movies in the prime time line. ….

July 20, 2011 5:22 pm

trekker 5

This will be awesome!! I’m already signed up and ready to go,but I need to know what time it starts,8 or 9 p.m? Anyway,I would just die if JJ put the Shat in the next movie!! But,I guess at this point,I would just die for JJ to do anything with the next movie! Getting back to this,I am most looking forward to seeing Chris and the Shat talk,that will be great!

July 20, 2011 5:22 pm

Kirk, James T.

@ 5 – yet he died in the prime timeline….

Shatner could make a return in some kind of quasi-temporal displacement field using the quantum angular confinement…. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and your under……

July 20, 2011 5:30 pm

Phil

@5. There was a story about how they shot Little Steve and Big Steve for the upcoming Captain America. I suppose they could re-amimate Scotty, Bones, and Nurse Chapel, and slim down and iron out the wrinkles for the rest of the cast….

July 20, 2011 5:55 pm

Tony Whitehead

I’m thinking that if the new crew can magically beam someone across the solar system to a ship traveling on an unknown course at an unknown speed and still wind up in a brewery. . .then, perhaps, just maybe we can skip this “believability ” angle and just write a couple of lines that says something like. . .

Crewman 1: LOOK, THERE’S A RABBIT OVER THERE!

Crewman 2: WHERE?

Crewman 1: BEHIND WILLIAM SHATNER.

. . .and. . .on to the next scene.

July 20, 2011 5:56 pm

Cervantes

Personally, I’m still disappointed that a POST-‘GENERATIONS’ appearance of ‘Prime Kirk’ Shatner didn’t feature alongside his buddy Leonard Nimoy’s last ‘Trek’ movie appearance in the 2009 reboot, if even briefly.

However, that was because I sorely wished for the unnecessary and disappointing onscreen demise of the iconic Kirk character in ‘GENERATIONS’ to be undone somehow. Even if it went unexplained fully!

Since the initial reboot missed this golden opportunity, I’ve resigned myself to that never happening now in an ‘official’ capacity. But no matter, as after studying various shots extensively over the past weeks, I’ve now worked out what I believe to be a very satisfying (and logical way) that the existing ‘GENERATIONS’ footage can be RE-EDITED in a way where Kirk lives! (as well as altering Picard’s ridiculously ‘weepy’ scene too).

As someone who really likes a lot of things to do with the actual ‘GENERATIONS’ movie apart from Kirk’s demise, I’m extremely pleased that it’s possible for me to watch this movie in a way that I’d much prefer in future, and hope that a professionally-done ‘fan-edit’ can be made available for anyone else interested eventually. Although there has been a ‘Kirkless Generations’ edit out there for a while now with all footage of Kirk removed, this gives it a shortened ‘NEXT GEN-only’ feel. But at least it can give the impression that Shatner’s last appearance as ‘Prime Kirk’ ended with ‘The Undiscovered Country’. However, what I have in mind will continue to show Kirk help Picard to save the day, and go on to survive the movie…

So that may be of some interest (and comfort, lol!) to others here too, and I’ll certainly let you all know if I can organise an online release of my ‘revised’ cut at some point. Oh, and I’m not intending to go into the exact specifics of how Kirk will be made to cheat his ‘official’ onscreen death, as I’d like to keep things a surprise for anyone that eventually watches this fan-edit in future.

Why did the guy agreed to be killed of in Generations anyway? Talk about shooting yourself in the foot, or falling of a bridge or however it is he died. Anyway even if he didnt die in Generations there would have been no way to get him into Star Trek 09 unless they set the time-travel story after Undiscovered Country, not after Nemesis… but that would have then discounted everything in TNG etc afterwards.

July 20, 2011 7:00 pm

Cervantes

@ #11 yaya

Personally, I don’t necessarily discount everything in TNG etc., but I do like to think of that show as being an ‘alternate timeline’ to the events of the TOS series/movies anyway, lol!

Which means that the ‘Prime Kirk’ featured in the current ‘GENERATIONS’ movie was also from an ‘alternate timeline’ to the TOS one too, anyway…and NOT the actual ‘Prime Kirk’ who’s exploits happened in the exact way onscreen right up until the ‘UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY’ movie ended!

Still, I’d prefer not to see this ‘other’ version of ‘Prime Kirk’ clumsily ‘killed off’ due to a ‘broken bridge’ scenario, at the end of the day. And if I can organise my envisaged ‘GENERATIONS’ edit, I’ll be content to then look on the NEXT GEN shennanigans as being a ‘continuation’ of the actual TOS ‘timeline’ after all, lol!

The fans deserve a real decent Shatner sendoff, not the abomination that occurred in Generations. Come on!!!! Get Shat in the movie!!!!

July 20, 2011 8:54 pm

Magic_Al

Killing Kirk must have seemed like an OK idea at the time, in the context of the fact that in 1994, the Star Trek franchise as embodied by TNG and DS9 was at an incredible zenith of success with no apparent expiration date, and TOS seemed over and done. It must have felt like a moment to pass the torch once and for all, and what has more finality than seeing two captains enter and only one captain leave? No one would have predicted, then, that all the newer versions of Star Trek would reach a conclusion, and that there would stop being newer versions, and that TOS or a version of TOS would again regain a preeminent position in the franchise. Shatner could not have predicted, then, that Kirk would be in demand again, or that he would still be around two decades on and working with all the energy of a much younger man than 80.

That phrase is often bandied around for people we respect but very few ever really reach that status, Shatner has.

July 20, 2011 11:42 pm

Keachick (rose pinenut)

William Shatner – “And Chris Pine was a young prince among us all, elegant and youthful and hopeful and blessed with all his obvious talent.”

It seems that William Shatner himself has just confirmed my own suspicions about Chris Pine!

Please make a DVD of this documentary…PLEASE!, even if I have to go to Amazon to get it sent from the US. My 7 year old multi-region DVD player needs to keep on keeping on…

July 20, 2011 11:55 pm

Iowagirl

“I would probably trip on my way out the door to fall at his feet.”

LOL – love the guy! :))

July 20, 2011 11:57 pm

Keachick (rose pinenut)

Bring on Uncle Peter Kirk (William Shatner)! Working on a cameo scene now… get back to you soon.

July 21, 2011 12:30 am

roy

11,

I read an interview a long time where William Shatner was asked about his appearance in Generations. He was quite specific in stating that Rick Berman had told him that with or without him, his character was going to be killed off anyways. Besides the hefty paycheck, this was also one of the reasons why he participated in the movie so he have input into the handling of his character. At the time of the movie premiere he kind of accepted that his time in the Star Trek franchise was essentially over.

July 21, 2011 1:08 am

Keachick (rose pinenut)

It seems the alien invasion has begun and Pine/Kirk has a few tribbles of his own.

As far as more Shatner goes, people ought to keep an open mind. It’s not a case of just doing it for the hell of it (like when they killed Kirk) but doing it right. I don’t see him being in the next movie, but I’d welcome it if it served a purpose, and it could. Anything’s possible.

July 21, 2011 1:46 am

daz1701

My personal opinion on this is that since Mr Shatner read the script, filmed the scenes (twice!) and took the pay cheque for Generations, he should have known that his time was up. As a ‘farewell’ in the new movies he would surely have to appear as James T Kirk and I cannot see how that can be accomplished in anything other than the previously mentioned ‘holographic’ cameo (or similar). Whether he would agree to this is at the actors discretion.

July 21, 2011 1:55 am

Toonloon

“Patrick spoke to me as deeply and in as affecting a tone as he ever has anywhere, in my experience. Avery was a delight, and he spoke to me in musical terms. Kate was magnificent and dignified and revealed herself more emphatically than I could have hoped for. Scott Bakula was as jovial and as warm as one would have expected, and then just specks of heartache emerged. And Chris Pine was a young prince among us all, elegant and youthful and hopeful and blessed with all his obvious talent.”

That is so graciously put. I wish I could turn a phrase like that.

July 21, 2011 2:05 am

Toonloon

Sorry to double post but I just thought of something – sorry if someone else thought of this, but – SHATNER IS IN THE NEW MOVIE. He doesn’t know it yet, but he’s in. Why? What better way to celebrate Star Trek’s 50 year than bringing back Shatner? Actually, Nimoy would have been better cos he’s been there from the start, but we’ve already had him. The new film hasn’t been delayed… it’s part of the release strategy so they can promote it as a 50th aniversary. Shatner has to be in it, if that’s why they are holding off. He may not be Kirk, but that would be missing an opportunity if he isn’t.

“Scott Bakula was as jovial and as warm as one would have expected, and then just specks of heartache emerged.”

Assuming that’s about ENTERPRISE not fulfilling its potential (and it might not be), I wish CBS, Paramount, Bad Robot or whoever else the buck can be passed onto, would you know – – do something about that.

They say that’s showbusiness don’t they? But Star Trek has always proved time and again, its more than any other piece of Hollywood business. It has a guaranteed audience of a few million, even when the mainstream grew tired of it.

July 21, 2011 3:54 am

Aurore

Quite selfishly, I must admit that , I had hoped for an excellent movie , first and foremost (and an **ANNOUNCEMENT** concerning said movie , an hour ago) , rather than a celebration of “Star trek’s 50 year”.

Oh, well….
It could be both, of course , but , I personally, don’t consider William Shatner’s presence *in the sequel* as absolutely necessary (for such an event to occur).

That said, what do I know ? I’m just but one voice among a plethora of consultants’ here, not Toto’ s……..not Roberto Orci’s boss.

July 21, 2011 4:12 am

Damian

People here can say all they want about things they don’t like being part of alternate realities and the like. And that’s fine. There are lots of Star Trek fans that only like certain parts of the universe. The important thing to remember, though, is that the writers of the next film accept all of the previous years of Star Trek as the entire Star Trek universe. They created an alternate universe of their own because they were so concerned about not interfering or contradicting all that canon. You can bet that they are not going to bring back prime-Kirk (the only Kirk I am convinced Shatner would play) without some explanation how that ties into his death in Generations. Abrams himself has stated that when they tried to get him into Star Trek, it always seemed blatantly fan-boyish and basically silly.

In essence, I don’t want the new team spending a lot of time trying to come up with some elaborate way to bring back prime-Kirk just for one more good-bye. We have the Abrams team for maybe 2 more movies. I don’t want that time wasted. I’ve said my good-byes a long time ago. If you don’t like Generations, I thought the ending to Star Trek VI was very poignant and appropriate. You really couldn’t do any better than that.

Love the blog – thanks for all the hard work keeping us updated and for regularly scooping some of the other trek news sites

Nitpick-

Please fix “Shatner Talks “The Capains”…”

to read “Captains”

July 21, 2011 9:38 am

Alex Prewitt

Signed up for Epix online–looking forward to watching this doc!

July 21, 2011 9:52 am

VOODOO

I spoke with Shatner in person last week. Tom me the guy truly feels left out of the series that he helped create. He laughed about it, but I really think he wants back in even in a small way.

He told me that “stranger things have happended” in regards to him being involved in the films. That gave me a glimmer of hope.

How could the writers of this film not try and include the most iconic figure in franchise history? The guy is all, but begging to be involved.

July 21, 2011 9:56 am

trekker 5

#35,Aurore,I’m great,just really hot! It’s 95 today! Anyway,I’m going to be watching THE CAPTAINS,I got that free trial,can’t wait to see it! Do you have epix over there? I know you can’t get the free thing,which sucks by the way!

July 21, 2011 10:13 am

Aurore

42.Olivia.

“Do you have epix over there? I know you can’t get the free thing,which sucks by the way!”

After you asked , I visited the site for the first time. So, yes, we do have Epix .

But , truth be told, what I would love to be watching , more than anything else, right this minute , is a video of the……***ANNOUNCEMENT*** .

:))

All joking aside , I never intended to watch the documentary ( not in its entirety, anyway). However, I’d be really curious to know what Christopher Pine and William Shatner had to say to each other. This must have been a fascinating conversation, to say the least.

July 21, 2011 11:00 am

Dee - lvs moon' surface

A Prince Captain Fine …I knew it …LOL

:-) :-)

July 21, 2011 12:36 pm

Aashlee

Excuse me? Shatner now wants in? Good heavens, what chutzpah! When the 2009 movie first came out, you couldn’t get him to admit that he had even seen it.

Unbelievable!

Seriously, if this franchise is going to grow up enough to boldly explore strange new worlds, fandom has to let the new crew do its thing on its own. “Star Trek” cannot be dependent on any one person, iconic or otherwise. It must be allowed to develop into its own entity as creativity and movie-making technological development themselves progress.

I agree with a previous poster. Star Trek VI as an apt farewell to our beloved TOS crew. As we watch the parade of autographs at the end credits, we can honor them for their work there.

July 21, 2011 12:56 pm

TJ Trek

although epix will allow us US folks to watch it for free, I am so disapointed to see that our fellow trekkies over see are not going to get see a damn thing. I do hope that it comes out on DVD, that would seem like the best thing they could do. Please a few more fans, make a few more bucks, and go home with everyone happy.

July 21, 2011 12:58 pm

Tom

#41 Voodoo

I just wonder if he was told he was not going to be in the movie or if he is assuming that because he has not been contacted. If you have a glimmer of hope than i guess it is better than nothing.

July 21, 2011 2:50 pm

trekker 5

#43.Aurore,that is what I am most looking forward to as well!! I do love Sir Patrick’s acting,but it is the Shatner/Pine talk that I am excited for!! You know how I fel about THE ANNOUNCEMENT;I’m sitting here right now giving JJ,and Bob down the road in my mind! I have not heard hide nor hair from our boss man in a good bit!!

July 21, 2011 3:07 pm

Aurore

48.Olivia.

Speaking of Christopher Pine , I like to believe that our boss man is currently busy crafting a little scene inspired by what I had thought about , a while ago
( posts 33 & 58 ):

B) I dont see a point to have Shatner in any more feature films. I love him as Kirk but just seeing things for what they are, it’s okay if he doesnt appear in any of the following movies. again, I dont HATE the guy or TOS or anything else, i just think it’s time to move on from that conversation.

C) if someone REALLY wants to do something, get james cawley or someone involved with the new films to get Shatner to appear in a live action version of Star Trek: Spock: Reflections. if it’s a web deal, and you got Shat, you could PROBABLY get Nimoy. It would be the ultimate valentine’s for the fans and nobody would be jumping through hoops to make Kirk appear again. It’s all right there, and a beautiful story about two friends to be honest. Very character/emotionally driven.